


Grave News

by LionFili



Series: Amatus [3]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Angst, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-01
Updated: 2014-12-01
Packaged: 2018-02-27 19:30:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2703818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LionFili/pseuds/LionFili
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Inquisitor receives some news in the War Room that makes him question the gravity of his decisions.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Grave News

When Taurien had stepped into the War Room he'd thought it would be a meeting like most others. He would discuss the best course of action for the Inquisition's resources and troops, taking advice from Leliana, Josephine and Cullen before deciding to send certain people out to take care of certain tasks. Sometimes the meetings were long, hours of debate over who should do what and which things should be a main priority, but other times Taurien was in and out in what felt like minutes, either simply gathering some information he'd requested or only needing to give a few orders before other missions took him elsewhere once again.

But this time when he entered the War Room he noticed the faces of his advisors looked saddened but only when they spotted him. At first he wasn't sure what was wrong, the Inquisition was doing well, their reach in all of the regions was strong now, every land holding a large Inquisition presence. But then the Elf's eyes caught sight of a letter in Josephine's hands and a frown creased his brow. "Has something happened to our forces?" He asked, wanting to hear what was making all his advisors so weary to speak. 

For a moment the three of them looked between one another, each debating silently who should deliver the news to Taurien. Finally Leliana spoke, taking the letter from Josephine as she approached the Elven Mage. "Inquisitor, you know of the situation in Wycome." She began, pausing for a moment to try and word her next statement carefully. "News has just come in on the Noble's threatening your Clan. Unfortunately our diplomates could not reach Wycome in time before the Noble's forces moved in. They...All the Elves of Clan Lavellen and most of the city Elves have been killed. I'm so sorry Inquisitor." She said, finally explaining the grave news.

Taurien looked at her in stunned silence. His people - gone. He'd done all he could to try and protect them, as soon as word had come that they needed support. Despite how the Inquisition's resources had needed to go elsewhere at times, Still Taurien had thought of his people, his friends. But it had all been for nothing. He reached out with a slow hand and took the letter telling of his people's slaughter. Lilac eyes darkened in sadness as he hung his head looking down at the words in the letter but not really reading them. "There was nothing to be done for them?" He asked, despite already knowing it was too late. 

Leliana's eyes turned sad at hearing the defeat in Taurien's voice. She'd never seen him affected so, even after Haven and all the others they had lost along the way. "By the time our people moved in to secure the situation it was too late. The Nobles had already killed all the elves and once we explained the true reason for the plague on the town there was nothing to be done. There...There were no survivors." She explained before glancing back at Josephine and Cullen, their expressions mirroring her own. Regret and sympathy for the Inquisitor's loss.

Taurien gave a simple nod, not looking to any of them as he turned and began to leave the War Room. "There's nothing else to be discussed today. Inform me of any other changes." He said simply, despite having gone into the council session with several things Taurian had wanted to discuss, now none of it mattered after the news he'd been given. None of the others present tried to stop his retreat, letting the Inquisitor go as he would need time to grieve in his own way.

 

For a few days no one saw the Inquisitor. It wasn't an unusual thing for him to be missing for periods of time, Taurien always off doing something, going somewhere to take care of a thousand things. But usually someone knew where he was or a few were gone with him. This time it was different, none of his usual travelling party were missing, everyone was present in Skyhold and yet still no one had seen him. Josephine began to worry considering the terrible news Taurien had been given about his people the few days previous. She searched through Skyhold, asking everyone she could think of where Taurien might be, speaking to those he was closest with first, Varric and the Inquisitor had struck up a fast friendship but the author hadn't seen Taurien. Josephine then after exhausting the Inquisitor's companions sought Solas, being an elf himself she figured perhaps he might know how Taurien had chosen to morn his people's passing, but once again she came up empty handed as Solas claimed he wouldn't know how Taurien, being a Dalish, might retreat to grieve. 

Walking through Skyhold, still no closer to finding the missing Elf, Josephine decided if there was one person in Skyhold that might know where Taurien was it would be him. Though she was a little loathed to speak with the Tevinter, not because they didn't get along, though she found him a little too self centred, but simply because she didn't know the full extent of Taurien's relationship with Dorian. The two weren't discreet about it, proving that Taurien felt he had nothing to hide but Josephine couldn't claim to understand the depths of it. She found Dorian in his usual spot reading. The Tevinter looked up when he heard someone approach, but was a little surprised to see the Ambassador, as she did not often come to speak with him.

"Ambassador, it's not often I'm graced with your company. Is there something you wanted from me?" He asked her, voice taking on it's typical charm and wit. In truth Dorian was always a little suspicious of those who came to ask him for something, despite having spent a long time with those at Skyhold now, he still often felt like the outsider and knew he was still under the scrutiny of those who didn't approve of his presence. He'd done much for the Inquisition and had the obvious approval of it's leader, yet that wasn't enough for some amongst the Inquisition's ranks and while the rumours about his relationship with Taurien still circled he knew he was unlikely to get out of their suspicious gazes anytime soon.

Josephine gave Dorian a slightly unimpressed look at his tone but pressed on considering her reasons for speaking with him in the first place. "Actually I was wondering if you had heard from the Inquisitor lately. I know you two are...close." She asked, not wanting to reveal too much at the moment. 

Dorian gave a small smirk at the way Josephine dodged talking about how he was involved with Taurien. He knew she had developed a crush on the Elf, who couldn't with all his spectacular accomplishments, and Dorian couldn't help but be a little smug when so many would give their left arm at the chance to be with the Inquisitor, yet Taurien's affections were for him alone. But he shook the smugness away at her question of Taurien's location, it was odd for Josephine to even need to ask him. "No, not since we returned from the Emerald Graves. Why are you looking for him, doesn't he usually come to you when he needs something?" Dorian asked, his suspicion peeked.

"There...was just something I needed to discuss with him." Josephine answered, trying to dodge Dorian's question. It wasn't her place to explain what had troubled the Inquisitor in their last meeting. The Ambassador then turned, ready to leave Dorian to what ever he'd been doing previously and perhaps continue her search sometime later. As she got a few steps away Josephine paused and glanced back over her shoulder. "If you find the time, I think he could use the company." She said and left before Dorian could question her further. Josephine knew Taurien likely needed the time alone, but she knew sometimes it helped to have someone you cared about offer you a shoulder should you need it.

Dorian gave a small frown at Josephine's parting words. They didn't sit right with the Tevinter Mage, why would Taurien need his company? Whenever the Elf wanted it he always came looking for Dorian himself. But if Josephine had taken the time to actually tell him that then Dorian wasn't going to simply sit here. He had an idea where Taurien might be if he was nowhere to be found in the obvious places of Skyhold and so he set out to find his lover.

 

In truth Taurien was in the place most obvious of all. His quarters. People had come to the assumption that he was hardly ever in the rooms, considering the fact that he always seemed to be busy, coming and going for all sorts of different reasons. But his rooms gave him solitude and time to grieve for the loss of his people. For a while Taurien had been unable to tear his eyes away from the letter explaining of their slaughter. He stood bent over his desk, palms either side of the simple sheet of paper as he stared with unseeing eyes down at it. The candles illuminating Taurien's rooms had shrunk down, left to burn for so long. Constantly going through his mind were all the thoughts about what he could have done differently in order to save them. Perhaps if he'd not tried to send the Ambassadors to find a diplomatic solution they would have been saved, or if he'd sent soldiers to protect them instead. But their soldiers were needed in many other places, and what if the troops travel had been just as slow. He could have sent Leliana's agents, their small numbers and speedy travel would have reached his people in time surely? But once again they were an asset put to better use elsewhere. Guilt churned in the Inquisitors gut like a dagger twisted to cause pain. 

Wetness began to collect along Taurien's eyes and his brow pulled into a frown. He gave a growl and slammed a clenched fist down onto the desk. He'd failed them, his own people. All these lives riding on his decisions and he couldn't even protect the people that had been his whole world before all of this madness had happened and his whole life had been turned upside down. 

Dorian walked up the stairs that led to the chambers Taurien owned just as he heard the growl and thud of a fist against wood. He saw his lover stood, hunched over his desk, shoulders drooped in what could only be described as defeat and despair. It cut deep at the Tevinter's heart to see Taurien look so - defeated. Slowly, Dorian walked over but came to a stop a few paces back. "You have Josephine scouring the whole of Thedas looking for you. Search parties about to be sent." He said trying to make a soft joke to perhaps lighten Taurien's grave mood, but Dorian hadn't expected him to really react much to the jokes. 

Taurien for a long moment didn't look up, eyes still cast down, more to hide his tears from Dorian. It wouldn't do to let anyone see him in such a state, not when everyone counted on him to be this unbreakable force behind the Inquisition. Dorian stepped a little closer, reaching out with gentle fingers to stroke over the back of Taurien's neck. "What has happened Amatus?" He asked carefully, respecting the decision if Taurien chose not to tell him, but offering comfort if he did wish to.

"My people..." Taurien began, voice breaking a little and stopping him from saying anymore. He bit his lip to try and regain control of his voice before Taurien stood up straight once again to look to Dorian, lilac eyes showing how broken up about it all he was. "My clan has been slaughtered, all of them...gone." He finished, voice full of sorrow. Dorian's eyes saddened at hearing the news and seeing Taurien so heartbroken. 

"I'm sorry Amatus. I'm sure you did all you could." Dorian began, trying to help but stopped before he could say more when Taurien shook his head hard and pulled away from him, eyes turing to lilac fire. His sorrow replaced with a guilty anger and regret.

"All I could? No, I chose wrong Dorian! I - I should have sent soldiers, or Leliana's agents or gone myself! But I didn't and now...now they're all dead. My friends, my family. They were all I'd ever known before this Dorian and I failed them. If I couldn't protect my own people how am I supposed to protect Thedas? What if I pick wrong again? How many more people will die because I make a stupid decision?" Taurien said as he paced a little, finally voicing all his guilt and the pressure that had been weighing on him for longer than the news of his people's deaths.

Dorian let Taurien voice his frustration, letting him get it out before he approached and took a hold of his lover's shoulders, stopping him from walking around and making the Elf look up at him. "You can't know what would have happened if you had picked differently Taurien. Say you had sent soldiers, they would have been held up like the Ambassadors, and if you'd sent agents they might have arrived on time but likely would have been killed in the fighting too as their numbers would have been too few. You picked the right choice and did all you could. Their deaths are not your fault." Dorian said with a steely conviction. He believed Taurien had done the right thing, and he needed his lover to see that Dorian believed it, so he could believe it as well.

For a moment Taurien looked up into Dorian's eyes, searching his face for answers, for anything before he deflated down into his lover's arms. He gave a slight sob, tears beginning once again but this time he didn't try to hide them. The pain of their loss was still so fresh and it would take the Inquisitor some time to heal, but in time it would. Already with Dorian's words the guilt had begun to lessen a little.

"I wanted to see them again when all this was done. I wanted you to meet them." Taurien admitted softly against Dorian's chest while his lover held him. Dorian gave a sad smile, the thought of meeting Taurien's clan and interesting one that now sadly would not happen.

"You know they probably wouldn't have liked me, no one down south seems to much. Besides you that is." He replied gently, trying to lighten Taurien's heart a little more. Dorian stroked gentle fingers through the soft hair at the back of Taurien's neck before they travelled up to the Elf's long pointed ears. Taurien gave a small chuckle as his ears twitched a little under Dorian's gentle caresses. Some things would not change at least.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for Reading! :)


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